Bolivia to "make world history" by granting rights to Mother NatureBy
David EdwardsApril 12th, 2011

Bolivia is preparing to pass a new law that could lead to citizens
challenging environmental destruction in court.

A Ley de Derechos de
la Madre Tierra (The Law of Mother Earth) would grant nature the same rights
as humans,
according to The Guardian.

The country will establish 11
new rights for nature, including: the right to exist, the right to continue
natural cycles, the right to clean water and air, the right to be free of
pollution, and the right not to have cellular structures altered or
genetically modified.

The law will also give nature the right "to not
be affected by mega-infrastructure and development projects that affect the
balance of ecosystems and the local inhabitant communities."

"It establishes a new relationship
between man and nature, the harmony of which must be preserved as a
guarantee of its regeneration."

The law enjoys the support of
Bolivian President Evo Morales and his Move Toward Socialism party. Not
coincidentally, he is Latin America's first indigenous president.

As a part of the indigenous Andean philosophy, the earth deity known as
the Pachamama is at the center of all life.

Bolivian Foreign
Minister David Choquehuanca has said that respect for Pachamama is important
in the prevention of climate change, which threatens to disrupt Bolivia's
way of life.

"Our grandparents taught us that we belong to a big
family of plants and animals," he said. "We believe that everything in the
planet forms part of a big family. We indigenous people can contribute to
solving the energy, climate, food and financial crises with our values."

As a developing nation, Bolivia has also suffered damage from the mining
of tin, silver, gold and other raw materials.

"Existing laws are not
strong enough," Undarico Pinto, leader of Bolivia's biggest social movement,
Confederaci�n Sindical �nica de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia, told The
Guardian. "It will make industry more transparent. It will allow people to
regulate industry at national, regional and local levels."

The law is
not expected to change things overnight. Ecuador also
granted some rights to nature as a part of a change to their constitution in 2008, but no new laws
have been created as a result.